flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

New Tommy Bahama HQ looks to ‘Make Life One Long Weekend’ for its employees

Office Buildings

New Tommy Bahama HQ looks to ‘Make Life One Long Weekend’ for its employees

Approximately 400 employees will occupy the SkB Architects-designed space.


By David malone, Associate Editor | February 20, 2018

Photo: Magda Biernat

Tommy Bahama’s new 120,000-sf Seattle campus has a design focused on user experience and was inspired by the company’s ethos to “Make Life One Long Weekend.”

The open, casual setting has spaces that feature a natural material palette and rich textures such as woven fabric wall coverings and rough-honed stone. A “grand boardwalk” organizes the space and draws guests from the main lobby and reception to the showroom, mock store, and collaborative workspaces. Casual seating areas line the boardwalk and provide opportunities for informal gatherings.

 

Tommy Bahama headquartersPhoto: Magda Biernat.

 

Workspaces have been designed with flexibility in mind so users can tailor the environment based on departmental and team requirements. The reception area and amenities are located on an intermediate level of the HQ’s four floors to ensure employee interaction and social engagement.

The company decided to lease the floors for the headquarters space in the base of the office tower as opposed to the upper floors in order to create and reinforce physical and visual connections to the community. Breakout and workspaces were designed around large four-story light monitors with access to the market hall at the base of the building to encourage gathering.

 

Photo: Spencer Lowell.

 

Each floor has its own coffee bar and a 1,000-sf café on the main level opens out to a 1,500-sf roof deck. The office’s customized workstations feature sit-to-stand desks, ergonomic monitor arms, and task lighting.

The building team includes SkB Architects (interior architecture and interior design), MKA (structural), Lima (lighting), GCH (landscape), Stantec (acoustical), Commercial Office Interiors (furniture procurement), University Mechanical (mechanical-plumbing design-build), Veca (electrical design-build), Skanska (contractor).

 

Tommy Bahama roof gardenPhoto: Magda Biernat.

 

Tommy Bahama reception areaPhoto: Magda Biernat.

Related Stories

| Aug 6, 2013

Australia’s first net zero office building features distinctive pixelated façade

Australia's first carbon neutral office building, featuring a distinctive pixelated façade, recently opened in Melbourne.

| Jul 30, 2013

In support of workplace chatter

As the designers of collaborative work environments, architects and engineers understand how open, transparent spaces can cultivate the casual interaction and knowledge sharing that sparks innovation. Now a new study reveals another potential benefit of open workplaces: social interaction that supports happier employees. 

| Jul 29, 2013

2013 Giants 300 Report

The editors of Building Design+Construction magazine present the findings of the annual Giants 300 Report, which ranks the leading firms in the AEC industry.

| Jul 25, 2013

3 office design strategies for creating happy, productive workers

Office spaces that promote focus, balance, and choice are the ones that will improve employee experience, enhance performance, and drive innovation, according to Gensler's 2013 U.S. Workplace Survey. 

| Jul 25, 2013

How can I help you?: The evolution of call center design

Call centers typically bring to mind an image of crowded rows of stressed-out employees who are usually receiving calls from people with a problem or placing calls to people that aren’t thrilled to hear from them. But the nature of the business is changing; telemarketing isn’t what it used to be.

| Jul 23, 2013

Tell us how you're reimagining the medical office building

"Obamacare" implementation will add thousands of people to the ranks of the insured, including many who formerly sought primary care in emergency rooms. Now, these patients will have coverage that allows them to more easily access the typical treatment channels—and that means greater demand for services provided in medical office buildings.

| Jul 22, 2013

Top Office Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Turner, Structure Tone, PCL top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest office sector contractors and construction management firms in the U.S.

| Jul 22, 2013

Top Office Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Jacobs top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest office sector engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.

| Jul 22, 2013

Top Office Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]

Gensler, HOK, Perkins+Will top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest office sector architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.

| Jul 22, 2013

Market gains encourage better workplace design [2013 Giants 300 Report]

The commercial office sector is finally heating up, led by corporate headquarter and medical office building projects.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Office Buildings

Unlocking Sustainability: Smart Access in the Coworking Space

Smart building technologies, including modern access control systems, are transforming coworking spaces by advancing sustainability initiatives and offering new ways to create and operate efficient working spaces. Learn more about the benefits of eco-friendly practices, from reducing carbon emissions to cutting operating costs, and discover 
how choosing the right partners can amplify your green efforts.


Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.



halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021